A light fixture typically includes one or more sockets, each of which is supported by the body or housing of the light fixture and electrically connected to a power supply. A lighting element, commonly known as a lamp or light bulb, is engaged with the socket such that when the light fixture is switched ON, power is communicated through the socket to illuminate the lighting element. In many light fixture configurations, the lighting element is positioned within or surrounded by a housing, shade, or reflector, which are configured to direct the light from the lighting element in accordance with the application and/or intended utilization of the light source. For example, a reflector may be positioned about the lighting element in an application in which light emitted from the lighting element is intended to be directed in a common direction. In another example, a housing may be positioned about the lighting element in an application such as a sconce or the like, in which it is desired to obscure the lighting element from certain directions within the room in which the fixture is mounted, and to direct light from the lighting element in an upward direction.
In designing a light fixture, the areas of the fixture adjacent the lighting element must be configured so as to enable replacement of the lighting element. This design criterion creates a certain amount of dead space about the lighting element, since the lighting element is initially engaged with the socket and is then moved inwardly into the socket such that a portion of the area originally occupied by the lighting element is empty when the lighting element is fully engaged with the socket. This necessarily reduces the efficiency of the light fixture, i.e. the number of lumens that can be produced from a fixture of a given size. While the light fixture can be designed to minimize the amount of this dead space, the surfaces of the light fixture adjacent the lighting element simply must be positioned so as not to unduly interfere with the replacement of the lighting element. This problem is compounded in light fixtures that include multiple lighting elements, since the fixture must be designed with a sufficient amount of dead space about each lighting element to enable the lighting elements to be removed and replaced.
It would therefore be desirable to have a light fixture assembly and method of connecting a lighting element to a light fixture that provides enhanced access to the lighting element without interfering with adjacent lighting elements and/or the surfaces of the housing about the lighting element.